Made this beer so it would be ready for Christmas presents. It was good at Christmas, but it is absolutely great in June. It ages extremely well. It's hard to do, but let it age a little!

Reviewed by: Jeff Donini
on 6/7/2017

5/5

Great

I have ordered this kit several times now and it has always turned out great. Thanks for the quick shipping and courteous handling of my orders.

Reviewed by: joe barnes
on 1/29/2017

5/5

Smooth

Great tasting beer. I used a total of 5 vanilla beans. Soaked them in Tito's vodka for 2 weeks and added them in secondary, vodka too. Perfect amount of vanilla flavor, not overwhelming. For this price I will definitely brew it again.

Reviewed by: Kevin Udovich Jr
on 2/18/2016

5/5

It'd be better with something besides S-04

This is the 5th time I've tried using S-04 and the 3rd time it ended up being a banana bomb. I've gotten it when pitching dry and rehydrating. I control my fermentation temps and this didn't go above 65*F for the first 4 days when I let it ramp up to 69*F to finish. It tastes and smells like I used a Belgian yeast and I'm sure it would have been a good beer had I used Nottingham or US-05, or a liquid yeast for that matter.
It's still drinkable but I have to tell people it's a low gravity dubbel. :)

Reviewed by: Matt
on 2/5/2016

3/5

Great Beer!

Ordered this when it was on sale! Great beer! I changed it slightly by adding a bit of caramel 60L to the mash and an extra Vanilla bean. Fantastic beer.

Reviewed by: Timothy Adkins
on 2/1/2016

5/5

Great beer try it!!

I brewed this using liquid yeast option. I did a full batch boil...pitched yeast at 70 cooled to 65 after 24 hours. Slow to start airlock activity maybe 29 hours or so then a slow steady bubble. Airlock stopped so I added beans 7 days later. Gravity at 1.022 so I rocked bucket a bit to get yeast back in suspension and warmed to 70 for a few days. Started working again within a few hours. 7 days later gravity was at 1.016 a bit over recommended finish (1.014) but it tasted great and I thought better than Breckenridge (had one in fridge for direct comparison). Breckenridge tends to be sweet after a few this one is perfect. Kegged it at 20 psi yesterday tasted today and it is smooth as silk. Nice and balanced and great mouth feel. Sure to be on rotation now. Thanks adventures in home brewing for a home run kit. Fresh fresh fresh !!! You guys rock! I have been recommending to all my friends whom usually buy from other sites....the liquid yeast cooler is a very nice added bonus - perfect for lunch!!

Reviewed by: shawn pietrzyk
on 10/28/2015

5/5

Smooth Porter with subtle vanilla flavor

This is a delicious Porter enhanced by a subtle vanilla bean flavor. Easy to brew and easier to drink. The addition of real vanilla beans in secondary is a brilliant combination. Yum!

Reviewed by: Dan Yates
on 10/23/2015

5/5

Excellent brew

Very fresh ingredients, arrived quickly. This was by far one of my favorite homebrews and a hit with everyone. Will definitely make again. Excellent brew, excellent customer service, overall excellent experience. Sincerely, a returning customer.

Reviewed by: mike
on 7/10/2015

5/5

Great Vanilla flavor

This beer has a lot of malt in the recipe and yet very well bananced with good lacing and vanilla flavor. A real treat on a Wisconsin winter evening. I will make this one again. Very pleased.

Reviewed by: Greg
on 1/5/2015

5/5

Gone in 8 days

Made this in November to be ready for the Christmas holiday parties.
First time using Liquid Yeast.
Added 2 additional vanilla beans during secondary. Ended up with very strong vanilla smell, yet flavor was pretty balanced.
Kegged and forced carbed 4 weeks after brew day. With bringing growlers over to parties and having friends over, all 5 gallons disappeared in 8 days!
Definitely will make again.

Reviewed by: eric chang
on 1/2/2015

5/5

Q:How long until this beer can be legged or bottled?

Asked by: Russell Tucker
- 10/15/2016

A: Ideally this recipe should be in fermentation for 3 weeks, then kegged or bottled

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Answer provided by: Cassie (10/24/2016)

Q:I like it when you guys used to post the instructions with the kits. It helps me make decisions. Can they be posted?

Asked by: TODD SETLOCK
- 9/22/2016

A: We are actually moving away from having them available on the site. Sorry for the inconvenience.

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1 of 21 Customer(s) found this Answer helpful.

Answer provided by: Desiree (10/11/2016)

Q:How long will these extract keep and still make a very nice beer?

Asked by: Dave
- 6/21/2016

A: We don't recommend storing the kits longer than a month/month and a half. LME has a tendency to lose freshness if stored for too long. Thanks for the question!

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Answer provided by: Tim (7/6/2016)

Q:Is this kit designed for a 3 gallon boil and top off to 5? Or a is a full boil recommended?

Asked by: Tina G
- 10/30/2015

A: Our extracts are all written at 3 gallons, with intent to top off. However, if you have a big enough pot, and a wort chiller, feel free to do a full boil. Full boil is always better if possible.

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5 of 5 Customer(s) found this Answer helpful.

Answer provided by: Chris (11/1/2015)

Q:Is the LME in this recipe a Dark or Porter Extract?

Asked by: paul E
- 2/21/2015

A: This kit uses a Pale extract base and the dark color and roastiness comes from the specialty grains that are steeped before boil.

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7 of 7 Customer(s) found this Answer helpful.

Answer provided by: Jeff (2/23/2015)

Q:Does your hops go into a bag instead of directly into the mash? If so, how many bags needed for 1 batch? What is expected final alcohol %? Which yeast is best for winter brewing? I've never used a liquid yeast. If liquid, what is the ice pack used for?

Asked by: Ron
- 11/19/2014

A: This is an extract recipe, so there is no mash. We have our recipes linked to each of the descriptions on the website. Hop bags are not necessary, only personal preference. The expected ABV on this recipe is 5.4% Ice packs are used to keep liquid yeast cold during transit. The best yeast depends on the strain and application. If your home is consistently in the mid sixties you should be able to still use most ale strains adequately.

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7 of 9 Customer(s) found this Answer helpful.